Now before you write this off as merely a silly stylistic concept, you just might want to hold off a bit. Yeah, it's only a "dream bike" which hints at what Honda may be up to with their two-wheelers, but it's more than that--much more.
What's really unique here is that Honda may be reviving their oval cylinder engine design once again. Anyone who has followed Honda's 2-wheeled GP history knows that back in 1979 Honda experimented with an oval cylinder V-4 GP racer called the NR500 (here) (engine pictured below); and without much success, I might add.
Why oval cylinders, you ask? It allowed for the use of 8 valves per cylinder as well as 2 plugs per cylinder, In doing so Honda was able to get power levels comparable to an 8-cylinder engine of that era, but without the size and weight of an 8-cylinder engine. So imagine an 32-valve, 8-plug, sorta 8-cylinder, 500cc engine, if you will.
Apparently this oval cylinder concept has not died, but rather has been honed over the intervening years to the point in which it may see production some day. Now fast-forward this thinking a bit, and imagine an oval-cylinder, 8-valve/2-plug Honda car. It's not as wild as you may think, as much of the high-tech engineering that you see in Honda cars first started on their bikes.
This new Honda concept is being shown at Intermot, a.k.a. the Cologne Motorcycle Show.
Full story here and here.
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Hmm, no front suspension?
OK, it's a concept, so it gets a pass. It looks pretty sweet.
Imagine what the camshaft would look like on that bad boy. Wow.
Another example of Honda doing what they do best.
Engine Technology.
This thing has got to go down as one of the worst concepts ever. It is basically a glorified cardboard cut out, and it gets press??? When other mfgs introduce a concept they at least look like they could be a working bike from a distance.
Honda's bike division has been in the doldrums in the US for the past decade. They had a great V4 bike in the VFR Interceptor and mucked that up by making it heavier, slower, less economical and got rid of it's signature gear driven cams.
They have cut down their street bike line up, refuse to bring in the cool stuff that is available in other countries, recently introduced a super scooter type bike for $16,000(!), are getting their butts handed to them in MotoGp and World Super Bike.
Things really changed since Sochiro passed...
It "got press" because of the possible engine it might end up with, not because of the styling or the fact that it isn't functional.
"Things really changed since Sochiro passed..."
Oh so true! The changes arent limited to the Honda bike division as its evident on the car side too. VCM ring a bell?
On the flip side the HondaJet has been well recieved as its clearly a leader in technology, efficiency and innovation.
I know Honda still has it in them but they need to stop playing around and give us the goods. Hurry up and deliver the clean diesels, a nice 6AT for the V6's, the new a-VTEC system, and different exterior designers.
"It "got press" because of the possible engine it might end up with, not because of the styling or the fact that it isn't functional."
Oh, I see. Well from the carboard cutout, I mean 'concept' it shows what looks like maybe a 45 degree angle between the cylinders. Seeing that Honda's oval pistoned engine (and their other v4s) are 90 degree angled, this is even more ridiculous than I thought.
Unless they are going for the Harley v-twin look...
The more I look at this engine the more it makes sense. I wonder how well a larger version would work in a car?
So without a working.... well anything, all we've got is a mock up and a statement that they are looking into developing something.
The theroy is interesting but without a working example to demonstrate the advantages, it's meaningless.
"So without a working.... well anything, all we've got is a mock up and a statement that they are looking into developing something."
Exactly. Free press for nothing.
I'm curious how such an engine would idle. I'm also curious if this design would work on a diesel application.
"Exactly. Free press for nothing."
Not in my book. The fact that Honda is once again looking at the oval piston concept is legitimate news worth reporting.
Nope free press for nothing. Here's a quote from the linked story:
"the bike is more of a design study than anything else - a highly stylized and non-functional sculpture of the direction the next generation of Honda's bike line.
Neither the wheels and tires nor the engine are functional or - strictly speaking - even present, though they are hinted at by the forms of the V4 Concept's lines. The intended powerplant is an all-new iteration of Honda's legendary four-cylinder V-engine constructed with oval pistons."
So it's a design idea in the ether. They didn't even bother to make the engine dimensions on the cardboard cutout/concept bike correspond to the "intended" powerplant.
The oval piston concept failed in the NSR racebike, it failed in the NSR750 streetbike, but with that track record why not take a crack at it again?
Seeing that nothing exists apart from marketing blurb (the photos of the oval piston engine are from archives), why not say it's going to be powered by a hybrid gas diesel motor? Hand out some flyers and there ya go!